TVNewser's Chris Ariens reported on Friday that MSNBC hired current White House associate communications director Rachel Racusen to be their vice president of communications. The left-leaning network, which rarely misses an opportunity to defend President Obama, was reportedly "looking for a candidate with connections to the current administration," according to a report that Ariens linked to from sister blog PRNewser.
Of course, MSNBC and the White House already has "connections," as host Al Sharpton is the President's "go-to man" on race issues. Also, David Axelrod, former Obama senior advisor and senior campaign strategist for the Democrat during both of his presidential runs, is now a senior political analyst for the network. Like Axelrod, Racusen worked on the Obama 2012 campaign as a deputy national communications director.
The PRNewser item by writer Patrick Coffee also noted that "Racusen helped devise press strategies surrounding major events like President Obama's State of the Union Address, the White House Working Families Summit, the recent Ebola crisis, and the Healthcare.gov rollout."
MSNBC president Phil Griffin (who claimed earlier in 2014 that his network "has never had an ideology") praised his new hire: "I'm thrilled to add Rachel to our senior team. She has great experience, she's creative, strategic and passionate about our brand. She'll be a tremendous asset to the network."
